The Legend of Spyro: The Gathering Storm
by Drake Dragonsoul
Summary: Set as a sequel to The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. Spyro, Ignitus, and Cynder attempt to find the remaining dragons, while the Dark Master continues to scheme for his freedom. Chapter 9 up!
1. Fallout

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, or any other assorted characters.

Author's Note: This is my first Spyro fic. I will not tolerate flames, constructive criticism will be welcomed with open arms, but flamers will get the short end of a very sharp stick.

Chapter 1

Fallout

It had been nearly a week, since Spyro had defeated Cynder in Convexity. He had still not fully recovered from the massive fury attack that he had used to win the battle. He was finally able to move around without feeling like he'd collapse at any moment, but his breath attacks hadn't returned.

This made his lessons with the guardians very difficult, as they were trying to teach him how to further control the individual elements. He was actually aching to try some of the things they had said were possible.

Ignitus was also teaching Cynder how to further master fire breathing. This was going rather smoothly as Cynder already had a vast knowledge in the field. When he had asked her how she'd learned all of this, she had replied that she was basically self-taught. This served to impress the dragon guardian as learning to breathe any element by oneself was a remarkable talent.

"How come Cynder's only being taught to breathe fire?" Spyro asked Ignitus as the two dragons were looking through the temple's library. The library was still a mess from when the Dark Master's force had occupied the temple. Books had been tossed to the floor and loose pages littered the floor.

Ignitus glanced down at the purple dragon. "Because most dragons can only master one element. Cyril, for instance, can only breathe ice."

"Then how come I can breathe four elements?" Spyro asked.

"Well, purple dragons are known for being able to perform such feats," Ignitus said as he seemingly found what he was looking for and removed a scroll from the shelves. "Let's rejoin the others."

The two left the library, Ignitus careful not to fall as he balanced on his hind legs and held the scroll with his front. They entered the room where the other three guardians, Cynder and Sparx were waiting. The dragons were lying on the floor, their wings folded, while Sparx buzzed around annoying whomever he could, but avoiding Cynder.

Spyro sat next to Cynder while Ignitus joined the other guardians and unwrapped the scroll revealing a map. The guardians bent over the old piece of parchment and began debating among themselves.

"You think they'll be able to find them?" Cynder asked as she stared at the guardians.

"I hope so," Spyro replied. The guardians were hoping they would be able to discover the location of the remaining dragons. When the war with the Dark Master had gone bad. The dragons had begun to doubt that they could win. When Cyril, Volteer, and Terrador were captured, the dragons had decided to surrender and go into hiding. Ignitus had tried to keep them together, but he could not and was subsequently exiled.

"I don't see the point of digging up some ancient map," Sparx muttered, hovering above the two dragons. "It's not like it's going to have 'dragons in hiding here' written on it."

Sparx immediately regretted saying that as he saw the two's downtrodden looks. He added. "Then again they might find something."

Ignitus had heard Sparx comment, but paid it no mind. He studied the map before him. He noted the cliffs, the valleys, and lakes. Unfortunately, dragons were very adaptable and could live almost anywhere.

"There are so many places they could have settled," Cyril said.

"Indeed, this navigational nightmare seems unsolvable," Volteer agreed. "If you had been planning on relocating to a new locale were the Dark Master's reach could not penetrate, where would it be?"

"I would never dream of leaving the realms," Terrador declared fiercely.

"Nor I," Cyril agreed. Volteer nodded his assent.

Ignitus remained silent. He had given up. Back when Spyro had found him, he had shrunk from his responsibility of fighting back the Dark Master's evil. He had hidden himself outside the realms.

"We must find the others." Ignitus said.

-------------------------------------------------

(Later that night.)

Spyro lay on his stomach intently reading the book that was laid out in front of his paws. The darkness did not bother the dragon's eyes as they were well adapted to night time.

He looked up as he heard an unnatural rush of air. He got to his feet and glanced around the room nervously. Had the Dark Master's forces found a way into the temple? He stared into the dark corners that even his night vision couldn't pierce.

"Aww!" he screamed as something dropped down in front of him, the light from the object blinding him as he stepped back quickly and spun around trying to swipe at the creature with his tail.

"Hey, watch it!" An angry voice said.

Spyro finally saw his so-called 'assailant.' "Sparx? What are you doing up at this time of night?"

"Couldn't sleep," the dragonfly replied angrily. "Cyril's snoring reminds me of the screeches those spiderooms used to make."

Spyro nodded. "Yeah, kept me up too."

"Sooo…," Sparx began. "What are you reading?" He flew over to the book that Spyro had previously been reading. "A Complete History of Dragons? Since when have you cared about history?"

"It doesn't hurt to know where you came from," Spyro said walking over and looking down at the book.

"I think I'll wait for the movie to come out," Sparx muttered. "So, are you sure about Ignitus' decision to let Cynder stay here?"

"Why do you ask?" Spyro asked.

"Suppose she's still under you-know-who's influence?"

"She's not," Spyro growled.

"Okay, maybe," Sparx said. Spyro turned to leave, but Sparx flew in front of him and blocked the way. "But how can you be sure? I've seen her, wandering around at night. Suppose she strangles us in our sleep?"

"She won't," Spyro said. "And how do you know she's wandering around at night?"

"Hey, can I help it if I'm not the trusting type?" Sparx asked.

"Well, stop it," Spyro ordered.

"Why?"

"Because it's not nice to spy on people," Spyro said.

"Do you like her?" Sparx asked. Spyro sensed that Sparx was going to start needling him, but he answered anyway.

"No," He said as flatly and evenly as possible.

"You like her!" Sparx burst out. Spyro rolled his eyes as Sparx continued on. "You like her, you like her!" If that wasn't enough he broke into song next and danced around the room in erratic loops. "Spyro and Cynder sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"Ahem," Spyro and Sparx spun around. Sparx turning white with fright at the sight of Cynder.

"Hey, Spyro, I think I'm double parked," Sparx said before racing out of the room.

"So, what are you doing up at this hour?" Spyro asked wandering how much of his conversation with Sparx she had heard.

"I prefer the dark," Cynder admitted guiltily. "I was actually hoping to catch you alone."

"Oh?" Spyro asked as he recalled Sparx's mistrust of her and wondered for the first time if she really was reformed, or if the guardians would wake up next morning to find his singed remains and Cynder gone. Spyro stepped back and wished that he had his flame breathe back.

"I wanted to thank you for saving me," Cynder said. "If you hadn't come along I probably would have been his slave forever." She blushed. "That's all." She turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Spyro breathed a sigh of relief as she disappeared.


	2. Visions

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro, or any other assorted characters.

Chapter 2

Visions

Spyro yawned as he looked into the green pool in the center of the room. He was going to try and go back to bed, hopefully Cyril had stopped snoring. He turned away from the pool, but stopped half way as he caught sight of something in it.

The green coloring vanished as a watery image replaced it, become slowly clearer. He recognized the image as being the inside of one of the rooms of Cynder's former fortress. Three armor clad white baboons were staring forward at a single shard of purple and black crystal that grew out of the floor. The larger baboon stepped forward as a black figure appeared projected in the crystal. The figure's only clear distinguishing feature was its glowing red eyes and the slit below that served as a mouth, the rest was shadow. The figure spoke with a dark reverberating tone.

"Why do you wish to speak with me, Reddragon?"

The baboon identified as Reddragon answered. "Some of the troops are discouraged. Ever since Cynder was defeated, they feel doubts, since you have not named a new general."

Spyro found that he could not look away from the image in front of him. His entire body was paralyzed. He couldn't have looked away if he wanted to.

The figure in the crystal debated as the baboons shot nervous glances at each other.

"And you wish to be this general?" the Dark Master's voice rumbled. Reddragon nodded eagerly, while his two companions shared another nervous look. "You are right. You have served me long and faithfully. You have fought many battles. Lost some, but won many and you have always fought fiercely…" Reddragon was practically drooling with anticipation at this point. "it shouldn't matter that you allowed the purple one to defeat Cynder."

"But I didn't!"

"You think I did not see you as you hid and watched the purple dragon fly through the portal to his final confrontation with my former general? If you had perhaps stalled him for a time, I would be free this day, but you allowed your rivalry with Cynder to cloud your judgment."

"I didn't!" Reddragon wailed in despair and fright.

"Fear not!" The Dark Master growled. "You shall be justly awarded."

The Dark Master glared malevolently. A shadowed claw shot forth from the crystal and grabbed the white baboon and hoisted it into the air. Reddragon howled in pain as the claws sank into his flesh. The fur on one side of Reddragon's body seeming to burn away as the skin underneath it hardened into black scales. Finally, the claw decapitated into nothingness and the altered Reddragon fell back to the floor.

"Get him out of my site," the Dark Master ordered. The two baboons jumped to obey and dragged their unfortunate comrade out of the room. "I have more important matters to attend to."

Once the foot soldiers had left the room the Dark Master shift his gaze to glare at Spyro. Spyro tried to scamper away from the pool, but his body would not respond. He gazed into the Master's red eyes. The demon chuckled and another shadowed claw appeared. The claw stretched out and Spyro was convinced that it would break the surface of the liquid and reach out and grab him just as it had done to the helpless baboon. Finally, Spyro found he could move again and he flung himself away from the pool. He fell to the floor and blacked out.

------------------------------------------------

Cynder had gone back to sleep after her encounter with Spyro. She had noticed with a sense of irritation the glowing dragonfly that had followed her. Though she was actually kind of glad that Sparx didn't trust her as she wasn't sure herself that the Dark Master's influence was entirely gone from her.

She groaned as her dreams became troubled. The sunny meadow where she had been chasing a helpless sheep, suddenly became the dark abyss of Convexity. She glanced around, when she returned to looking in front of her a dark shadow had appeared. The shadow's glowing red eyes glared at her in amusement.

"What do you want?" Cynder shouted at the Dark Master.

The silhouette chuckled and started walking toward her at a slow purposeful stride. "I want you," his rumbling voice replied almost casually.

"You'll never control me again!" Cynder shouted as she backed away from the approaching figure.

"Maybe not to the degree I had before," he said still sounding casual. "But my will is bound to you. You will always be my tool. Nothing will remove my influence from you. Even your best friend will feel uneasy around you. You know this is true, none of them trust you, they never will."

Cynder gasped as her back foot slipped over the edge of the platform. She pulled her foot back up and placed it on solid ground. The Dark Master stopped in front of her and towered over her.

"Go to hell!" Cynder shouted sending a blast of flame breath at the specter. The flames turned around in midair and looped around her feet taking the shape of shackles. Cynder cried out as they lifted her into the air.

"I am the Dark Master. Hell is but a luxury retreat for me!" the demon laughed evilly. Cynder tried to exhale another blast of flame, but her throat felt constricted and all that came out was a few pathetic puffs of smoke. "Come back to me, Cynder. I told use your tactical mind." He stroked the back of her neck. Cynder shivered at the touch. "Well?"

"Never!" she didn't sound as defiant as she had wanted and her voice sounded like a shriek.

The shadow's only reaction was to close his gaping mouth. "You're mine, Cynder. Your destiny is dictated by me!" His mouth reopened at a fantastic size and Cynder screamed as he swallowed her.

She awoke with a scream. She was covered in sweat and panting heavily. She glanced at her feet and noticed the burn marks there.

---------------------------------------------

"Sleep well?"

Spyro drowsily looked up at Ignitus. He tried to force his still half-asleep mind to tell him what he was doing on the stone floor of the pool room. Slowly, it came back to him, his talk with Sparx, the encounter with Cynder, and finally the vision of the Dark Master. He knew that he should tell Ignitus of the vision, but fear kept his mouth shut.

Instead he said. "I couldn't sleep last night. Cyril was snoring."

"What? I do not snore." Spyro looked around Ignitus and saw an indignant Cyril and the other guardians standing there.

I abhor to offend you," Volteer said. "But you do indeed."

"I do not," Cyril huffed indignantly. He looked at the other guardians asking for confirmation.

Ignitus cleared his throat and looked pointedly in the opposite direction, while Terrador remarked under his breath. "You sound like a freight train."

Cyril growled, but said nothing more. He merely sat down at a slight distance from the other dragons.

Cynder entered the room next followed shortly by Sparx. Spyro gave his adopted brother a dirty look as he fluttered over to hover next to him. Spyro returned his attention to Cynder who sat down as far away as she could from the other dragons. She tucked her ankles under her to hide the burns on them. Spyro noticed that she looked rather tired.

"What do you see, Ignitus?" Terrador asked. Spyro turned to see Ignitus studying the surface of the pool. The whole room waited as Ignitus stepped back from the pool with a puzzled expression.

"They are hiding somewhere in Deep Pine," Ignitus said. The other three guardians gasped, while Spyro and Sparx shared a confused look.

"What madness possessed them to settle there?" Volteer asked.

"I don't know," Ignitus said. "But we need to find them, who'll come with me?"

"I will," Cynder said standing up.

"Are you sure?" Volteer asked. "It is a journey fraught with peril, with adversity around every corner. Villainous forces-."

"Enough, Volteer!" Cyril growled.

"Are you sure?" Ignitus asked leaning his neck down to eye level with her.

"Yes."

"I'm coming, too," Spyro spoke up. He looked up at Sparx.

The dragonfly sighed. "I guess that means I'm coming too, huh?"


	3. Family Reunion

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro, or any other assorted characters.

Chapter 3

Family Reunion

"Yes, Volteer, we'll be fine," Ignitus sighed as the yellow dragon had just finished one of his overly long speeches. "We've got enough food." He nodded at the pack strapped between his wings.

"We'll keep an eye on the temple," Cyril said.

"Just remember, if you are overwhelmed, run!" Ignitus said.

"Don't worry, we'll be able to handle it," Terrador said.

Ignitus nodded. The other guardians returned the nod.

"Farewell, my friends," Ignitus said. "Hopefully-"

"Hey, old guys," Sparx interrupted. "Let's get the show on the road. You'll have plenty of time to talk after we pop over into the forest, roast a few marshmallows, find the dragons, and come right back. Doesn't sound that dangerous."

"It's more dangerous then you think," Ignitus warned as he walked over to where Spyro and Cynder were waiting.

Sparx was impatiently hovering in the air. "Dangerous? Me and Spyro went through a frozen wasteland with an army of boneheads chasing us, rescued a bunch of llamas, and fought our way through an exploding volcano. Not to mention we beat psycho chick." Cynder looked guilty as he said this. "A little forest doesn't sound that dangerous." he finished.

Ignitus just shook his head. He approached the youngsters and looked over the edge of the balcony. He sighed and then launched himself into the air. Spyro and Cynder followed while Sparx buzzed on ahead of them.

The four flew on in silence. Ignitus led the way while Spyro studied the landscape below. Cynder was quit, lost in her own thoughts. She was thinking about the night before and her encounter with the Dark Master. Sparx got bored of flying and finally landed on Spyro's head and sat there as they continued on.

"Are we there yet?" Sparx asked after what seemed to him like an eternity.

"No," Ignitus answered.

"Are we there now?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No," Ignitus answered an edge of annoyance in his voice.

"Are we there now?" Sparx asked. Spyro sighed and did a barrel roll, sending the dragonfly plummeting toward the ground below before he beat his wings and flew back up, phanting in fear. "Don't ever do that again!"

Spyro just smirked mischievously.

The day wore on and the party found themselves getting tired. Finally, Ignitus decided they should look for a place to rest. They swooped down and landed, Spyro smirked slightly as he remembered his first landing. Fortunately, he was much more skilled now.

Spyro looked around in surprise.

"Hey, Spyro, you recognize this place?" Sparx asked, looking around at the swamp.

The purple dragon nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Come on!" Sparx yelled rushing off. Spyro followed. Cynder and Ignitus shared a confused look and followed. They followed the two through several twists and turns and more then once Ignitus found himself squeezing through a narrow cave or trench.

They stopped and stared as they found Spyro and Sparx greeting two dragonflies. One was a light blue color, the other was red and apparently female. The two looked up and stared at Ignitus in astonishment.

"Hello," Ignitus greeted.

"This is Ignitus and Cynder," Spyro introduced nodding at each as he said their name. "And this is my mom and dad."

Ignitus and Cynder both shared looks of confusion and surprise. Spyro remembered that he had never taken the time to tell them that he was adopted by dragonflies.

"Any friend of Spyro's is a friend of ours," Spyro's dad said.

Igniuts nodded. "We need a place to stay."

"Follow us," Spyro's mom said, leading the way.

They led them back to their home, which was a large bush. Well, it was only large enough for the young dragons to fit. Ignitus had to stand outside.

The dragonflies had their dinner of butterflies. Ignitus pulled off the pack he was carrying and removed a whole sheep for himself and one for Spyro and Cynder. Spyro watched as the two cooked the sheep with their flame breath and he sighed as he wished his own flame breath would come back.

After eating, Ignitus had decided to look around after thanking the dragonflies for their hospitality, while Spyro was going to catch up with his family. He pushed his way into the bush and sat down in front of them.

"So, Spyro," his dad began. "What have you been doing?"

"Well, I… uh….," How did he tell them what he had been through? "I… uh…. Saved the world?"

"That's a pretty big accomplishment," his dad said.

"I'm serious," Spyro said.

"We believe you, Spyro," his mom said. "Could you tell us what happened?"

"Sure," he nodded and prepared to recount his adventures. "After I left I fought through a couple of monkeys. Then I heard something roar and ran to hide in a cave. That's where I found Ignitus. He told me what I was, a dragon and how the dragons had been fighting against the Dark Master, something that wanted to take over the whole planet and spread his darkness. Supposedly a special purple dragon and I convinced him to show me the dragon home world, but I had to fight through some more monkeys before we reclaimed the temple. Ignitus taught me how to fight better and to use my flame breath. Then he sent me to Dante's Freezer to rescue Volteer, who then taught me about the electric breath I gained. From there I rescued Cyril from Tall Planes and Terrador from Minus Forge. But I encountered Cynder there for the first time. She was the Dark Master's general. Ignitus showed up and fought with her, while me and Terrador escaped back to the temple. She managed to capture Ignitus. This was what she needed to complete her plan as she had been using the guardian's powers to charge four crystals that would be used to release the Dark Master from his other worldly prison. So, Terrador sent me to her fortress to rescue him before the crystal could be charged. I fought to the castle and encountered Cynder guarding Ignitus. We fought, but she ran when the crystal was fully charged, vanishing through a portal. Then Ignitus told me where Cynder came from. She was hatched from the same group of eggs as me, but she was corrupted by the Dark Master's powers. After hearing all this I followed her through the portal. I fought her and managed to win by using a fury attack. Then she reverted to the way she was before the Dark Master had messed with her and I saved her before the Dark Master could suck us in and escaped the dimension."

"Hey, I was there, too," Sparx said indignantly.

Cynder watched from outside the bush and sighed. Truth was she was sort of envious of Spyro. He, at least, had an adoptive family. Cynder sighed again and curled up to sleep.


	4. Falling Down Part 1

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, or etc.

Chapter 4

Falling Down Part 1

Ignitus looked around as he wondered the swamp. He recalled when he had met Spyro not far from the swamps border, when he had been running from Cynder. He couldn't help, but wonder how far the Dark Master's influence had spread.

He stopped as he felt something out of place. He now surveyed the swamp with a sense of foreboding.

Two small baboons came flying out of the trees to his right. To his left, two more appeared. The four simians laughed evilly as they stood in front of Ignitus. The guardian looked down at the creatures with a sense of disbelief. He could easily tear through these so-called warriors. Was the Dark Master trying to mock him?

One of the monkeys pounced, but Ignitus easily sidestepped him and slammed him with his tail, sending the monkey flying back over the heads of his comrades. The remaining three baboons shared an uncertain look, before charging.

Ignitus rammed the first and sent it flying through the air. He kicked the next with his front foot and it collided with a tree trunk. He bite the last one and holding it firmly between his jaws, flung it straight up into the air. It finally landed back on the ground after first crashing through a tree branch.

A rush of air attracted his attention and he spun around to face another baboon, but one unlike anything he had ever seen. It was easily the largest he had ever seen. One side of it was covered in fur, but the other had black scales and the face on that side was more dragon-like then monkey. Two large dragon wings sprouting from its back kept it in the air. Ignitus could detect the unmistakable stink of the Dark Master's magic on it.

"Who are you?" Ignitus demanded as he got ready to attack.

"That is none of your concern, dragon!" The abomination spoke in a dark rumbling voice. He raised the staff in his dragon hand and sent a blast of dark magic flying at the elder. Ignitus managed to dodge it by leaping into the air. He hovered for several moments and then swooped down on his assailant. The two were sent crashing to the forest floor.

Ignitus pinned the baboons arms to the ground and opened his mouth ready to bite the creature's throat.

The baboon did not give him the chance. He opened his own mouth and a blast of black flame shot out. Ignitus jumped back as the flames burnt his face.

Ignitus stepped back as the baboon flapped its wings and flew into the air. The baboon launch another blast of black flame, but Ignitus dodged it. The baboon however had anticipated the dodge and struck the dragon in mid air with a blast of dark magic. Ignitus was sent rolling across the ground.

The abomination laughed as it watched Ignitus climb back to his feet. The red dragon fixed it with a defiant glare and opened his mouth. A ball of flames formed there and was sent flying at the surprised creature. A huge explosion ensued, a few fragments of glowing hot lava flying away. When the smoke cleared, the baboon was lying unconscious on the ground.

Ignitus sighed. He remembered a time when he could launch five of those blasts before he felt tired, now he had trouble with just one.

He gasped as his feet sunk through the ground. He looked down and saw nothing, but darkness beneath him. Tendrils reached up out of the darkness and wrapped around his legs, neck, and tail. Ignitus struggled, but the shadows only gripped more tightly and began to drag him down. He tried to launch a stream of fire at the darkness beneath him, but a tendril wrapped around his mouth and held it tightly closed.

Ignitus threw his head back and stood on his back feet. He floated a couple of feet off the ground and a cone of fire gathered around him. He roared as the tendril that tied his mouth shut turned to ash and the fire spread out in a wave, pushing the remaining tendrils away.

For a moment, it looked like Ignitus had won, but then the tentacles came again and held him in place with even more determination then before. He had used up the last of his strength to perform that fury attack. The darkness rose up behind him like a wave and swallowed him up. The Dark Master's red eyes could be seen glowing in the shadows before they faded away.

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(Several hours later.)

"I'm worried," Spyro said standing up. "Ignitus has been gone for a long time."

"Maybe he got lost," Sparx suggested. "He's not exactly young anymore, you know."

"I doubt it," Spyro said looking to where the sun could be seen setting behind the trees. "I'm going to go look for him."

"I'm coming with you," Spyro jumped in surprise as Cynder spoke. He hadn't even realized she was standing there.

"Right," Sparx said. "I'll lead the way. I know this swamp like the back of my hand- err, I mean glove." He laughed nervously at this.

"Um, right," Spyro said. "I think I'll lead thank you."

Sparx looked downcast, but none the less nodded in agreement, then buzzed on ahead anyway.

"Where are you going?" Spyro's mom asked as she poked her head out of the bush.

"We're going to look for Ignitus," Spyro replied. "He hasn't come back yet."

"Do you want us to help?" Spyro's dad asked, also sticking his head outside.

Spyro shook his head. "No, stay inside."

The dragonflies vanished back into the house and the trio set out into the jungle.


	5. Falling Down Part 2

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon.

Chapter 5

Falling Down Part 2

Spyro sighed as he glanced around the shadowed jungle. He was about to suggest they give up, like Sparx had been suggesting for the last half hour.

"Can we go home now?" The dragonfly whined.

Spyro nodded in defeat. "Yeah, let's go."

Cynder glanced at him as he turned to leave. She glanced back down the path they had been following. With a sigh, she also turned back.

The trio walked in silence before Sparx who had been darting about as usual suddenly stopped. Spyro who had been looking at the ground didn't notice this until the last moment and ended up walking into the dragonfly and knocking him to the ground. Spyro also stopped and Cynder walked right into him, knocking the two over and onto Sparx.

Sparx groaned as he pulled himself out from under Spyro. "Uh! Can you get off me?"

The two dragons stood up and Sparx again took to the air glancing around as though looking for something.

"Why'd you stop anyway?" Spyro asked.

"That's why!" Sparx said pointing into the woods. The two looked in the direction he was pointing and spotted a dragonfly hovering through the forest several feet away.

The dragonfly was pitch black, even its wings. The three ducked down as the dragonfly turned its red eyes on them. Cynder shivered as she was pretty sure she felt a dark presence emanating from the insect.

"That's not natural," Spyro said.

"No duh, Sherlock," Sparx remarked.

"Let's get out of here," Cynder suggested.

The two males nodded and they crept through the underbrush away from the strange dragonfly.

Once they were far enough away from the dragonfly they stood back up and looked around.

"Let's fly the rest of the way back," Sparx suggested.

"But if we fly back we might miss Ignitus!" Cynder protested.

"She's right," Spyro said. He led the way forward and Cynder followed. Sparx stuck his tongue out at the she-dragon's back and then followed.

With a yell, several baboons came flying out of the jungle and surrounded the dragons.

Spyro glanced around at the animals and realized that he couldn't take this many without his breath powers. The baboons leapt and flew over Spyro's head. Spyro spun around as they leapt at Cynder and pinned her down. She bent her neck around and managed to bite one of them in the shoulder.

He started forward to help her, but one of the larger monkeys jumped in front of him and punched Spyro in the head. The purple dragon yelled as he was sent tumbling head over tail backwards. He cried out as he crashed into a tree.

Spyro shook his head and his blurred vision recovered. He growled as he realized that the primates were trying to abduct Cynder and weren't interested in fighting him.

Sparx flew up next to him. "Spyro, maybe we should-."

Spyro leapt at the baboon that had punched him. The monkey had turned its back on him. Spyro flapped his wings and spun around, striking the monkey with his tail. The ape howled and spun around hitting Spyro's side with his weapon and sending the youngster flying. He groaned as he once again impacted with a tree.

"Spyro, help!" Cynder cried as the monkey's started to haul their capture away.

The dragon tried to stand, but groaned and fell back to the ground as the injury in his side flashed in pain.

Sparx glanced around helplessly. He charged toward the group of mammals, yelling a battle cry, or perhaps a scream of terror (it was hard to tell) as he approached them. One of the apes turned and opened its mouth and the hapless Sparx flew right into it. Fortunately, the ape didn't like the taste of dragonfly and spit the dragonfly out in a spray of saliva. The insect slammed into a rock, groaned, and fell unconscious.

"Sparx!" Spyro cried out. He tried to stand again, but his side would not let him and he fell back to the dirt. He looked up and saw that Cynder was losing her struggle to escape. "No!"

"Gee, that's too bad," Spyro looked up and saw the black dragonfly from before resting on a tree branch above him. "You know, I bet if you had even one of your breath attacks you could have beaten them." The dragonfly beat his wings and flew down in front of Spyro.

The dragonfly smirked. "Hey, here's an idea. You let me give you some more power, I bet you could save the girl then."

Spyro glanced past the dragonfly and saw that the baboons had knocked Cynder unconscious and were escaping. He glanced back the dragonfly. Every instinct he had was telling him to say no, but then the apes would escape.

"All right, yes," Spyro said, nodding quickly.

The dragonfly smirked wickedly. "Oh, goody, I just won ten gems! Here we go!" He raised his arms and an orb of purple darkness shot from them and forced itself down Spyro's throat.

Spyro stood up, the pain in his side forgotten as the dragonfly's magic gave him new strength. He looked up and charged at the group of primates. The largest one charged to meet him. Spyro stopped and opened his mouth as the baboon near him. The darkness of the night seemed to bend and form a vortex leading to Spyro's mouth. The ape cried out as it stumbled into this vortex. A glowing white orb flew from the monkey's body toward Spyro. The dragon greedily swallowed it.

As Spyro ate the orb, the monkey's eye took on a horrified look and its eyes seemed sunken when moments before they fiery with the spark of battle. A trickle of blood leaked from its nostrils. The warrior turned and fled.

Spyro smirked as he turned to the rest of the soldiers. The monkeys growled and threw Cynder's unconscious form to the ground. Spyro opened his mouth and the dark vortex returned, sucking the vitality from the charging creatures. As the white orbs were swallowed the monkeys howled in fear and they looked as though they had aged two years in two seconds. The wound in Spyro's side quickly closed.

The monkeys fled as Spyro calmly walked toward the unconscious Cynder. Several of the monkeys were too drained to flee and had collapsed.

---------------------------------------------

Cynder groaned as she was prodded awake. She opened her eyes and gasped. Cynder rolled to her feet and hissed as Spyro stepped back in surprise.

"What's wrong with you?" Spyro demanded, sounding more harsh then he had intended.

Cynder stopped growling and panted. "Spyro, what did you do to yourself?"

"What are you talking about?" Spyro asked annoyed as she looked at him with wide and frightened eyes.

Cynder glanced around and spotted a puddle of water nearby. She stood next to it. "Look."

Spyro scoffed, but walked over to the puddle and stared at his reflection. His eyes widened at the sight that meant him.

His scales were a much darker hue of purple and his horns, spines, and wings were now silver. But the thing that startled and scared him the most was that his eyes were now glowing red. "What's happening to me?"

Cynder sighed. "It's the Dark Master. It's his magic, I can feel it inside you."

"No, no. No!" Spyro jumped away from the puddle and charged away into the jungle.

"Spyro, wait!" Cynder called after him. She glanced down at the unconscious Sparx and scooped him up in her mouth and then followed Spyro.


	6. The Chains of Darkness

-1Disclaimer: The only characters I own in this fic is the black dragonfly.

Chapter 6

The Chains of Darkness

"So let me get this straight," Sparx began. "Spyro's somehow absorbed some dark magic from the Dark Master, right?"

"Right," Cynder replied pushing through the bushes. A few limbs flew back at Sparx, who was forced to duck and dodge them.

"And he was so devastated that he ran off, right?" Sparx continued.

"Right," Cynder replied, pushing past a particularly large branch. The limb was sent flying back and smacked Sparx. The poor dragonfly was sent flying.

Sparx pushed himself up from the swamp water. "But what I don't understand is why he'd run off."

"He was scared and confused," Cynder said, turning around and facing the dragonfly. "Are you implying something?"

"Maybe I am," Sparx spat back.

Cynder lowered her head down to the insect's eye level. Sparx's scuttled back.

"If I had done anything to Spyro, why didn't I go and kill you then?" Cynder asked in a flat tone. With that said, she turned away and started off again.

How had Spyro managed to lose her? The Dark Master had trained her well. She should have been able to follow his trail.

Sparx flew up next to her. "I guess you're right. You wouldn't have kept me, alive unless of course there was some kind of ulterior motive behind it."

"Gee, thanks," Cynder huffed. That was the best apology she was going to get from the dragonfly anyway.

She stopped and stared ahead. The terrain had abruptly changed from the swampy area to a dark forest. Somehow the forest's floor was completely flat and gave the appearance of an unforgiving wasteland. The tree's bark was black and they had barely any leaves on their thin branches.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sparx asked.

"If you're thinking that that's Deep Pine, then that's what I'm thinking," Cynder replied her mouth hanging open in shock. She started forward.

"You're not going in there?" Sparx exclaimed. "How do you know that's where Spyro is?"

"I can feel the Dark Master in there," Cynder replied as she stepped onto the rock hard ground of Deep Pine.

"Hello!" Sparx yelled, flying up in front of Cynder's face and earning an annoyed look from the dragoness. "That's not a reason!"

"Yes, it is," Cynder replied, ducking around the dragonfly.

-------------------------------------------------

Ignitus groaned as consciousness returned to him. The surroundings that met his eyes were bizarre. The ground appeared to be a swirling mixture of purple and red fog. The wall had the fog climbing up it in tendrils, but otherwise appeared to be a shapeless light blue that reached infinitely into the air.

"Where am I?" Ignitus asked aloud.

"You are within my prison," Ignitus whirled around to face the voice's owner, the shadowed figure behind him.

The Dark Master's form was that of a humanoid shadow. A cape of swirling blackness hung off his shoulders and spikes extended from various areas on him. His hands ended in claws.

"How'd you bring me here?" Ignitus growled, baring his fangs and readying himself to fight, even though he knew that the Dark Master was far stronger then him.

"Cynder served me well," The Dark Master smirked, strolling forward. "She used those crystals to break the elemental hold on my prison, now I can project a… shadow of myself into your world, but I cannot fully manifest my powers there. All I can do is speak and influence my minions, but since you were so close to Deep Pine, an area where the dimensional barrier is weakest, I was able to reach through and drag you in here!"

"To what end?" Ignitus asked.

"Oh, come now, you know me better then that," The demon laughed. "I'm not going to spill my whole plan to you. Let's just say that you're here because that prevents you from interrupting my plans for young Spyro."

"What do you want with him?" Ignitus roared.

The Dark Master smirked. "I need someone born in the Year of the Dragon festival to open the gate for me. You could open the gate and escape yourself and try to stop my plans, but then I'd fallow you out. Choices, choices." His smirk widened. "Of course, I could just as easily conduct my plans from within here."

Ignitus roared and exhaled a stream of fire. The specter laughed as the flames washed over him and when they vanished he was unharmed.

"Funny thing about this place," he laughed. "It's rules are different. In here, it's impossible to die…"

There was a whoosh of air and suddenly, the Dark Master was standing only a few feet away from Ignitus. A shadowed blade extended from his hand and he plunged it into Ignitus's heart.

"Of course, it… still… hurts!"

-------------------------------------------

Spyro stumbled to the edge of the stream. He glanced down at the unfamiliar face reflected back at him. His scales were now black and his horns were twisted into demonic spirals.

He gasped as something slammed into his neck and wrapped itself there. He glanced down at the silver collar around his neck.

Standing on his back feet, he grabbed the collar with his front feet and tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge.

"Don't bother," Spyro spun around and faced the Dark Master. "Nothing can break my hold on you now."

Spyro roared and jumped at the apparition. He gasped as he flew straight through him.

"Please, don't waste your strength," the demon's mouth curled into a grin. "I find it much more fun when someone tries to resist my magic."

"You can't control me!" Spyro shouted at him.

The Dark Master chuckled and snapped his claws. Spyro promptly sat down. He tried to move, but it felt like a massive weight was crushing down on him. He couldn't even open his mouth.

The Dark Master began to pace around the immobilized dragon. "Now, why don't you just sit down a minute and think about what I'm offering you. A chance to rule at my side when I finally cover this world in darkness, you might find that you like being powerful."

Spyro managed to force a growl through his closed mouth.

Grinning, the Dark Master leaned down next to his ear. "And I can give you Cynder. I'm working on turning her back to my side as well," he stood back up. "She's cute, isn't she?"

Spyro growled as the Dark Master finally let him move. He stood up, intending to try and harm the demon, but he found that he couldn't. His legs felt like cement and he found himself actually considering, really considering, the trickster's offer.

He found himself opening his mouth to answer. He tried to say no, but what came out instead was "Yes."

The Dark Master smirked. "Excellent. You've made the right choice."

A dark cloud began gathering around the young dragon. He groaned as his limbs began lengthening and he grew larger.

"It'll only hurt a moment," the Dark Master chuckled.

-----------------------------------------------------

Cynder stopped. She could sense that the Dark Master was using a large amount of dark magic.

"This way!" she shouted breaking into a run. Sparx gasped and flew after her, the poor dragonfly barely managed to keep up.

Cynder leapt into the air and beat her wings. She flew above the tree tops, sensing the Dark Master's power much easier from higher up. She prepared to dive forward, but something slammed into her side and sent her crashing back to the ground.

She groaned and tried to stand up, but found herself too weak. Cynder looked up and saw her attacker land in front of her.


	7. The Hero's Path

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, but the bonanza of incoming original characters are all mine.

Chapter 7

The Hero's Path

Spyro screamed in pain as the dark magic consumed him. He could barely think, but all of his mind was focused on resisting the darkness. Images flooded through his consciousness, images of the worst experiences of his life. Anger and hatred filled him.

The darkness around him stopped turning and a purple glow appeared between him and it.

The Dark Master smirked. "That's it. Try and resist me. It will make my triumph all the more sweet." He raised his hand and clenched his claws into a fist. The darkness moved forward and hammered against the glow.

-------------------------------------------------

The creature that had attacked Cynder was another dragon. He was dark blue and his horns, spines, and wings were similar to Cyril's ice like ones, but were purple instead of light blue.

Cynder tried to get up, but fell back to the ground and fainted. The dragon glanced down at Cynder and growled.

Sparx flew up in front of the ice dragon. "Hey, who do you think you are, jerk? Just because your big and…" Sparx stopped as he looked up at the much larger creature. "Um, just, ah, watch where you're going next time…"

The dragon snorted and the force of his breath sent Sparx flying backwards and onto the ground.

He turned and picked up Cynder and slung her across his back. The dragon turned and leapt back into the air. Sparx fired up his wings and flew after them.

The dragonfly flew up above the trees and looked around. He frowned when he didn't see them. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes," Sparx spun around and faced the speaker. The black dragonfly was hovering a few feet away.

"Who are you?" Sparx demanded, raising his fists.

"I am Edord, envoy of the Dark Master," He bowed as he introduced himself. "I'm here to eliminate you, insect."

Sparx gritted his teeth. "First off, I'm not impressed. Secondly, you're calling me an insect? Dude, you're an insect, too. I mean that's like-,"

Edord growled and tossed a mass of dark magic at the yellow dragonfly. Sparx barely managed to dart out of the way.

"The Dark Master says that I should eliminate you," Edord said, another mass of energy building in his hand. "I don't know why. I doubt you could possibly cause any harm to his plans, but then again he's the evil mastermind, not me."

He tossed the ball of energy at Sparx. The other dragonfly dived out of the way and back below the trees. Edord scowled and dived after him. Sparx zipped through the tree branches, Edord flew after him, tossing dark energy balls.

Sparx screamed in terror as the blasts of energy exploding around him. Sparx was lucky that Edord could not aim well.

Edord growled as Sparx darted to the side. Edord turned after him. Sparx had vanished. The dark dragonfly stopped and looked around. The annoying bug couldn't have gone far. He was probably hiding amongst the trees.

Edord hovered forward and glanced around, looking for a yellow glow. He spotted movement and tossed a ball of dark energy at it. The blast hit and the target fluttered weakly, attempting to stay in the air.

The dark dragonfly frowned. He had hit a butterfly. Sparx jumped out from the tree he was hiding behind. He landed a punch to Edord's jaw.

"Ah! No fair!" Edord roared as Sparx grabbed a hold of his antennae. He grabbed Sparx and flew forward, taking the other dragonfly with him. In his haste, he didn't see the tree until he had hit it.

They both groaned as they collided with the hard bark. The two dragonflies remained plastered against the trunk for a few moments before sliding off and falling to the ground, leaving two dragonfly-shaped dents in the wood.

Sparx groaned as he hit the hard floor. One thing about being so small was that you could fall a long ways without getting hurt.

Edord's laughter caused Sparx to look up and see the dragonfly hovering above him with his glowing hand pointed at Sparx's head.

"Goodbye, insect."

---------------------------------------

Cynder was half-conscious as her captor landed. Through her blurry vision she could make out several huts constructed out of wood. The huts were numerous and stretched far into the woods.

The dragon flew into the village. Lots of dragons were going about their business below on the village's streets .As they entered, Cynder noticed the guards that nervously stood watch around the perimeter.

They landed in front of a large hut that seemed to hold some sort of authority. Cynder guessed it was the governing building of the village.

The ice dragon landed in front of it and dropped Cynder to the ground. Cynder groaned as she collided with the hard dirt. Three dragons emerged from the large hut and walked over towards her. She noted that each of them was a different element, fire, earth, and lightning.

"What have you found, Feron?" the orange fire dragon asked. He sounded rather old.

Feron smirked and pointed the tip of his tail at Cynder. "This… black dragon!" he said, making no attempt to hide the disgust in his voice.

"She looks hurt," the orange dragon noted.

"That's not the point," Feron growled. "She looks like Cynder."

The orange dragon growled. "Cynder is looks much older than that."

"It doesn't matter," Feron argued. "She could have disguised herself to spy on us!"

By now, a crowd had gathered around the four dragons and were watching the proceedings and shooting nervous, or hateful looks at Cynder.

Feron glanced at the crowd. "We must get rid of her! She's a danger to all of us!"

"What do you mean 'get rid of her'?" the earth dragon asked with a female-sounding voice.

"The same way we got rid of the others, Gladis," Feron said.

The orange dragon hurriedly stepped forward. "Hold on, we're not doing anything until she's fully conscious and has had something to eat. Guard!"

A gray dragon stepped forward.

"Take her to Pyris's cell and give her something to eat when she wakes up."

At this point, Cynder passed out completely.

---------------------------------------------------------

"You know, normally I would be all in to this whole prolonged agony thing," the Dark Master sighed. "But it does get boring after a while. Even for me."

If the dragon within the mass of darkness heard, he didn't respond. The demon could see that his resistance was weakening, the purple glow was fading. The Dark Master rubbed his claws together gleefully.

The demon frowned as the wind picked up all of a sudden. He gasped as spectral flames burst into life next to him and a phantasmal Ignitus emerged from them.

"You!" the Dark Master gasped. He didn't understand how this was possible, how had he learned to project himself into this world so quickly?

Ignitus ignored the specter and instead turned to the mass of darkness. "Spyro, you can fight it! Don't let this monster twist you."

The Dark Master growled. "You're too late, you old fool." He raised his hand and Ignitus's projection vanished. "Spyro's all ready mine!"

Spyro dug his claws into the ground and then roared. The black color of his scales faded and a massive purple glow surrounded him. The Dark Master raised his arm to shield his face from the light. When he lowered his arm, he saw that his darkness had vanished and a older looking Spyro was standing and glaring at him. The specter gasped as Spyro opened his mouth and a beam of purple light shot from it and though the demon's chest. The shadow roared and faded away.

The older Spyro smirked and then shrank back to his normal age. He stumbled forward and then fell to the ground, unconscious.

After a few seconds, a creature emerged from the bushes and crept over toward the unconcious dragon. It stood over him, its teeth glinted in the light and it reached its clawed hand out toward the dragon's neck.


	8. Darkness Rising

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, or any of its characters, but I do own _my_ characters. If you attempt to steal anything, you will find yourself at the mercy of my rather unsavory security system.

Chapter 8

Darkness Rising

Spyro groaned as consciousness returned to him. His entire body hurt. He opened his eyes. He immediately closed them again, when he found himself staring into a source of bright light.

He turned his head to the side and opened his eyes again. Spyro found that his vision was horribly blurred and could barely make out the yellow creature in front of him.

"He's awake," he heard someone say. He realized the voice was female.

"Where am I?" Spyro asked weakly.

The female voice replied. "You're in Avalar."

"Avalar?"

"It's a small village where a lot of outcasts live," a male voice replied.

Spyro's vision was clearing and he could finally make out the creature in front of him. It was yellow with a white chest. It stood on two legs and had a thin cat-like tail and its face was also cat-like. Its tail ended in a white tip.

"What are you?" Spyro asked, forgetting to be polite in his exhaustion.

The cat crossed his arms. "I'm a cheetah. Hunter the cheetah to be precise."

"I'm Spyro," the dragon replied glancing around at the rest of the room. It appeared to be inside a hollowed out tree. There were tables carved out of the tree itself. A red female faun stood a few feet away.

"What were you doing so close to Deep Pine?" the faun asked.

"I wasn't even aware that I was near it," Spyro replied. "Could you lead me to it?"

"You want to go to Deep Pine?" the faun asked in surprise.

Spyro nodded.

"He managed to blast the Dark Master," Hunter said.

The faun turned to the cheetah. "Hunter, there's no way that kid managed to hurt the Dark Master. It was probably just something that wondered out of Deep Pine. Besides you've never even seen the Dark Master."

"I'm pretty sure it was him," Hunter said crossing his arms. "He was all spiky and shadowy."

The faun sighed in frustration.

"That was the Dark Master," Spyro spoke up. "How do you know of him?"

------------------------------------------

"Good bye, insect," Edord laughed and released the bolt of energy.

Sparx rolled out of the way and shot a blast of yellow light from his own hand. The blast hit Edord in the thorax.

The dark dragonfly groaned and held his arm over the injured area. "H-how…?"

He glanced up to find Sparx's holding onto the end of a tree branch and pulling it back. Sparx let go of the branch and it went flying forward and slammed into Edord, sending the dark dragonfly flying through the air.

"Sayonara, _incest_," Sparx wasn't sure how he had managed to launch an energy blast, but he was just glad he was able to.

------------------------------------------

A cloud of darkness appeared in the Dark Master's prison and the demon himself emerged from it, clutching his chest in pain.

Ignitus was standing a few feet away with a smug look on his face. The Dark Master growled up at him and shakily stood to his feet.

"You failed," Ignitus said.

The Dark Master smirked in spite of the pain he was in. "I failed this time, but the darkness is still there. Eventually, it will overcome him."

Ignitus shook his head. "No, it won't."

The shadow's smirk widened. "Think what you like, dragon."

The Dark Master turned away from him and another even larger cloud of darkness appeared. Ignitus stared up at the large pillar of dark magic as it faded away. Ignitus blinked when nothing appeared and then glanced down at the ground to find a dragonfly hovering there.

"Well, Edord?" the demon demanded.

The dragonfly looked to the side nervously. "I didn't get him."

The Dark Master frowned. "You disappoint me."

Edord gulped. "But he's just a little dragonfly. How can he be a threat?"

"You are just a dragonfly, Edord," the Dark Master started to pace. "Yet you have been useful to me. Besides he shares a friendship with the purple one. Friendship could cause problems with my plan. In fact, it already has!"

He spun and sent a blast of dark magic in Ignitus's direction. The aged dragon jumped out of the way.

The Dark Master growled, but did nothing more. "Now, Edord, this is your first failure. Fail me again and you will not live long enough to know it."

The dragonfly nodded and turned and disappeared into another cloud of darkness.

The Dark Master laughed. "Now, for phase two."

---------------------------------------

Cynder stood up and looked around her cell. It was actually pretty nice for a prison. There was a soft nest, which was where she had been lying. Shelves lined the walls and several potted plants sat on them. There were even some on the floor.

Cynder gasped as she saw the room's other occupant. A red dragon was lying on the floor across from her, its feet tucked under it. The dragon looked to be the same age as Cynder. The dragon's horns were a light yellow as was its stomach, what had elicited the dragoness' surprise though was that other then the coloration, the other dragon looked almost exactly like her.

She closed her gaping mouth. "Who are you?"

"I'm Pyris," the other dragoness replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cy-," she stopped herself, judging from the reaction of Feron and the other dragons before maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to use her real name. "Spira."

Pyris blinked, but just shrugged it off. "You know, you look really similar to Cynder. Or that's what they said, I never actually saw her myself."

"Yeah, I know," Cynder replied. "That's why they imprisoned me?"

Pyris nodded. "They imprisoned me because I'm Cynder's sister."

Cynder couldn't stop herself from gasping. Pyris just nodded as though ashamed. That's why Pyris bared such a striking resemblance to her.

"But the Dark Master's army destroyed all the eggs from the last Year of the Dragon," Cynder said.

"All that he could find," Pyris said. "My father gave Cynder's egg to Ignitus to look after while he kept watch over mine. This way there would be a better chance for one of the eggs to survive."

Cynder sighed. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead," Pyris replied. "Dad died shortly before the dragons went into exile here. Mom…"

Pyris burst into tears before finishing. Cynder frowned and found a tear trickling down her own cheek.

Cynder quickly wiped the tear away with her forepaw. "I'm sorry…"

Pyris shook her head. "It's okay," she said. "That was a long time ago. I should really be over it by now."

----------------------------------------

The faun sighed. "His armies ripped my home kingdom apart. I'm Elora, by the way."

"I need to get to Deep Pines," Spyro tried to stand, but he collapsed backed to the floor.

Elora frowned. "You're in no condition to get to any place."

"Yeah, you're going to have to rest up," Hunter said.

"But-."

"Just rest," Elora said sternly. "We'll explain everything later. Just rest for now."

Spyro sighed and closed his eyes. Sleep quickly washed over him.


	9. Culture Shock

-1Disclaimer: I still don't own Spyro the dragon, the S.W.A.T. team I sent in to get the rights still haven't returned.

Chapter 9

Culture Shock

Spyro groaned as consciousness returned to him again. He glanced around and found the room empty. He managed to get to his feet and hobbled out the door.

He gasped as he saw the village. The buildings seemed to be carved out of the rich wood of the trees and several yellow crystals were imbedded in the wood. The crystals glowed and Spyro guessed that they would supply the inhabitants with light during the night. He continued down the street, strength returning to his limbs as he did and he was soon walking normally. Spyro was so absorbed in the village's architecture that he did not notice the creature approaching him, until he ran into it. He groaned as the collision knocked him on his back.

"Sorry about that," Spyro said looking up at the person he had hit. He gasped as he saw a white baboon staring back at him. Spyro quickly rolled onto his feet and hissed at the primate.

The baboon scowled and whacked Spyro on the head with the club it was carrying. The blow hurt, but that was it.

"Don't you youngsters know how to respect your elders anymore?" the ape demanded.

"What?" Spyro asked, rubbing his aching head. "Aren't you-?"

The baboon scowled. "No, I am not one of the Dark Master's stooges."

The still scowling monkey stepped around the young dragon and continued on his way. Spyro turned and pursued him.

The young dragon once again blocked the mammal's way. "But why aren't you one of the Dark Master's minions?"

The baboon, which Spyro noticed had aged looking gray hair rather then the traditional white responded. "Because when the Dark Master came to offer my tribe the option of working for him. I, being chief, naturally refused to submit to him," the simian frowned. "Unfortunately, the rest of the tribe did not share my feelings."

The old chief glanced down at the dragon. "Now, get out of my way, I've got food to purchase."

He pushed past Spyro and continued on his way.

"Wait," Spyro called after him. "What's your name?"

"Ivorytooth," the baboon called back at him.

"What are you doing up?" Spyro whirled around to face Elora.

"I'm okay," Spyro replied.

Elora looked like she was about to argue, but Hunter appeared and interrupted before the faun could say anything.

"He looks alright to me," he said. "Besides it's not like you know that much about dragon physiology."

Elora frowned realizing that Hunter was getting back at her for ridiculing him before.

"How long was I unconscious?" Spyro asked.

"Since you last woke up?" Elora said. "About a day."

Spyro's eyes widened. "I've got to find Ignitus and Cynder!"

"I don't know," Elora said.

"I'm sure you can go soon," Hunter said.

Elora shot a glare at the cheetah. "Hunter!"

The feline just shrugged and walked off. Elora glared daggers at the cat's back.

"What's with him?" Spyro asked.

Elora shook her head. "He's just an idiot. He can't see the big picture."

Spyro nodded. "Kind of reminds me of Sparx. Anyway, I think I'm strong enough to leave."

Elora growled and stalked off, muttering something about how impossible boys were.

Spyro shook his head and took off after Hunter. He soon caught up with the cheetah and found him under a tree working on something. As Spyro approached, he noticed that it appeared to be a piece of wood with wheels on it.

"What's that?" Spyro asked.

Hunter looked up at him. "It's just something I cobbled together. I call it a 'skateboard.'"

Spyro cast a sideways glance at the piece of wood. "What's it supposed to do?"

Hunter grinned and tossed the skateboard unto the ground. He jumped onto it and the momentum sent it rolling forwards. Hunter pushed the board forwards with his foot and then turned and headed back toward Spyro. As he approached, he jumped and spun the skateboard around beneath him before landing back on it perfectly.

"Whoa," Spyro said as Hunter stopped in front of him.

"You want to try?" Hunter asked offering the skateboard to him.

"Sure," Spyro said as Hunter set it down.

Spyro hopped onto it, hoping to imitate what Hunter had done, but the board slipped out from under his feet and Spyro was sent slamming onto to the ground.

Hunter rubbed his chin. "Hmm, this is going to be hard. I haven't taught anybody with four legs to ride these yet."

Spyro rolled back to his feet. "Oh, come on."

Hunter glanced down at the purple dragon. "All right, let's see…"

They spent the rest of the day teaching Spyro to skate. Hunter was surprised to see how quickly the dragon managed to get the hang of the toy.

Hunter laughed as Spyro skated away from the obstacle course.

"That was easy," Spyro said. "Have you got anything that would be an actual challenge?"

Hunter smirked. "Well, no one (and I mean no one) has ever beaten me in a race."

Spyro smirked. "Bring it on."

He didn't notice the black dragonfly that was hovering in the trees a few feet away.

------------------------------------------------

"You grew these?" Cynder asked, inspecting one of the potted plants.

"Yep." Pyris said, a hint of pride in her voice.

Cynder glanced over at her sister and wondered if she should tell her what she knew. Cynder turned her head away. She didn't want to risk being rejected though. It seemed as though the entire village hated her for what she had done under the Dark Master's influence.

"You!" Cynder jumped and spun to face the speaker. A gray dragon had appeared and was standing in front of their cell. "You're wanted before the council."

The dragon opened the cage and Cynder exited the room. Two more dragons appeared and moved into position on either side of her, while the first took the lead and started forward.

Cynder gulped as they led her forward. She glanced around, trying to find a way to escape if she needed to. However, she doubted that she could escape the three dragons guarding her if she made a run for it.

They led her into the imposing building that the council occupied. Cynder's hopes of escape diminished as they led her through the gloomy halls and finally into what looked like a courtroom.

The four dragons from before were standing behind raised platforms at the end of the room. Cynder gasped as she saw a black dragonfly hovering above the council.

Cynder saw the dragonfly smirk evilly as she approached.

One of her guards nudged Cynder forward and unto a platform that stood below the four dragons. Cynder suddenly had a sense of just how small she was as she looked up at the four larger dragons.

"What's your name?" the orange fire dragon asked.

"Spira," Cynder lied. She looked up at the black dragonfly and saw his smirk widen.

Feron scowled. "And why are you here?"

"I…," Cynder inhaled sharply. "I set out with Ignitus to find this village."

The council exchanged glances at the mention of Ignitus' name.

"Why did you want to find this village?" Feron asked.

"Because we wanted to persuade you to come back to the realms," Cynder replied.

"Liar!" Cynder glanced up at the black dragonfly. He flew down in front of the council. "She's Cynder in disguise! She's trying to lead you back to the realms, into a trap!"


	10. The Crushing Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, or its assorted characters. I own every other character though.

Chapter 10

The Crushing Darkness

Cynder glanced over at the four dragons. Feron looked furious, while the other three, although nervous, didn't appear to believe the dragonfly.

"Do you have any proof?" the fire dragon asked.

The dark dragonfly scowled. "Come on, she looks exactly like Cynder, what more proof do you need?"

Feron growled and addressed Cynder. "Are you the traitor that drove us from our homeland?"

Cynder hesitated. "Yes, but I'm-."

"Seize her!" Feron shouted.

Cynder shouted as one of the dragons leapt forward and bite the back of her neck. The gray dragon lifted her off the ground and Cynder was left hanging limply in his jaws.

"Wait!" Cynder shouted. She considered trying to break the dragon's grip, but then decided it was too risky. "I'm not the Dark Master's puppet anymore. Spyro, the purple dragon, rescued me from his curse. "

"She's lying," Edord said. "The purple dragon remains lost."

"That's not true!" Cynder growled, before she was hauled out of the room.

The fire dragon, Vulcanos, sighed. "What are you going to do to her?" he asked Feron.

"She'll get what she deserves," Feron growled.

--------------------------------------------------

Cynder was hauled back to her cell between the jaws of her captor. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was tossed roughly back into the cell and the door slammed behind her.

Pyris helped push her back to her feet. "What happened?"

Cynder sighed. "I told the truth and it cost me."

Pyris sighed. "Feron holds too much power in the counsel, if he wants you gone, he'll…"

Cynder frowned when Pyris didn't finish. The black dragoness shivered. What had happened to these dragons? Cynder shook her head, she had driven them into exile and now she couldn't convince them to come back to their rightful home.

Cynder looked down at the floor. "You know, my name isn't really Spira."

Her sister nodded. "I'd guessed as much."

Cynder shifted her glance to the wall. "Then you know?"

"I know," Pyris replied. "You're my sister. You're Cynder."

Cynder glanced back and met her sister's eyes. "I'm not under the Dark Master's control anymore. You have to believe me."

Pyris watched her sister's desperate expression. "I believe you, but none of the others, Feron especially, won't."

Cynder gulped. "What are they going to do?"

An evil chuckle attracted the two dragoness' attention to the window, where the black dragonfly was hovering. "They'll kill you obviously. They'll burn you to death."

Cynder growled and launched a stream of fire at the dragonfly, but the small insect easily dodged it. "What do you want?" Cynder growled.

Edord smirked. "It's not what I want. No, it's my master. He's offering both of you a way out of this cell, all you have to do is promise to serve him."

"Dream on!" Cynder growled.

The dark dragonfly shrugged. "Suit yourself, but I'd consider this, especially since you're about to be roasted alive."

Cynder launched another fire ball and once again the dragonfly dodged it and darted out the bars. His cackling faded into the distance.

"I hate that insect," Pyris growled.

"You've seen him before?" Cynder asked.

Pyris's voice dripped with anger. "Yes, he tried to tempt me to join the Dark Master in exchange for getting me out of this cell. Apparently, the Dark Master thought that since I was your sister I could be of use to him."

Cynder stared at the floor. Pyris frowned, figuring that she had probably offended her.

Cynder looked up. "We need to get out of here."

---------------------------------------------------

Spyro rounded the last turn. It was just a straight run to the finish line now. Hunter was only a few feet ahead. Spyro pulled his wings back and leaned forward. He was gaining on the cat.

Hunter glanced back and noticed the advancing dragon. The cheetah gasped and tried to increase his speed in everyway he knew how to.

The two racers were now side-by-side. Spyro was pulling ahead bit-by-bit. Hunter growled and pushed his way in front of him. Spyro growled and tried to pass the cat, but he just moved in front of him before he could. Spyro moved to the other side, but was blocked off again.

Spyro growled and darted around to the right. This time Hunter was too slow and they were neck and neck again. The two flew over the finish line.

"A tie," Hunter sighed as he skidded to a stop.

"Yep." Spyro said.

"You're a fast learner," Hunter said. "But then you've got a great teacher."

"Thanks," Spyro said. "I think."

"Up for another round?" Hunter asked.

Spyro shook his head. "No, I should really try and find my friends."

Hunter nodded. "All right, I can lead you into Dark Pines. Everybody says I'm crazy to go into that place, but I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Lead the way," Spyro prompted.

The cheetah nodded and started off. Spyro followed him. After a stop to get his bow and arrows, Hunter led him out of the village and into the woods. Soon, the sun was blocked out by the trees and the ground became hard and uncomfortable underfoot.

Hunter stopped and looked around. He turned around and faced Spyro. "You know, there's a dragon village in here?"

Spyro nodded. "That's what we were trying to find."

"Well, it won't be what you expect," Hunter said, looking away nervously. "The dragons are all scared witless of the Dark Master and Cynder."

"They won't have to worry about Cynder anymore," Spyro said.

"Good luck convincing them," Hunter said. "They won't even associate with anyone in Avalar."

"Can you take me to them?" Spyro asked.

Hunter frowned. Then, he turned and started forward again.

------------------------------------

Sparx shivered as he wondered the dark forest. He hated being lost without Spyro around, he hated to admit it, but Spyro had often been the one to bail him out of trouble, normally saving him from frogweeds.

The glow that surrounded him and the moon's light was the only thing that illuminated the dark forest. He stopped as he heard the bushes behind him rustle.

Sparx turned and faced the bushes that the sound had come from. "Hello? Anyone there? Besides flesh eating carnivores?"

A deep growling noise and a pair of large glowing yellow eyes appeared.

"I guess that's a no."


	11. There's A Will

Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro, or any other canon character.

Chapter 11

There's A Will

Spyro and Hunter looked up as an unearthly wail filled the forest. Hunter drew an arrow and Spyro barred his teeth as the wailing neared them. An eerie yellow light now appeared off in the distance and was nearing them. The light was blocked out by a tree and vanished. The two companions glanced around afraid that whatever it was would jump out at them.

Whatever it was screamed as it jumped out of the bushes and clung to Spyro's chest like its life depended on it.

"Sparx!" Spyro exclaimed, relieved to see his friend. "I was beginning to worry about you."

"B- big monster!" Sparx stammered, pointing nervously in the direction he had come from.

"What it'd look like?" Hunter asked.

A roar sounded and the creature emerged from the bushes. It was larger then Hunter and was covered with brown leathery skin. It had two pairs of muscular arms, but no legs. Instead it's entire body below its chest was a tail and it moved by slithering. It opened its beak-like mouth and roared.

"It looked exactly like that!" Sparx exclaimed.

Hunter launched the arrow at the creature and hit it, but the arrow only stayed fixed in its skin. The worm slithered forward and the three backed away, Hunter launching arrows at it as he did.

The monstrosity leapt forward and smashed its arm into Hunter, sending the cheetah flying and smashing into a tree. Hunter fell to the ground, unconscious, or worse. Spyro growled and leapt at the creature. He was whacked away by it as well and into a tree. Spyro moaned as he hit the ground. The worm turned towards him and opened its mouth. Sparx could only watch in horror as it approached.

When the worm was standing over Spyro, the purple dragon opened his eyes and rolled to his feet. Spyro swung his tail into the worm's side, but its only response was to grunt. The worm raised its arm and whacked Spyro again. Its claws tore through the scales on the dragon's cheek and sent him flying through the air. Spyro rolled across the ground, the rocks tearing further at his scales. He shakily stood up as the worm slithered forward. Spyro could only stand there as the worm raised its claws to finish him.

Hunter cried out as he jumped onto the worm's back. The cat dug his claws into leathery flesh and slammed his fist down on the back of its head. The worm groaned and started bucking, trying to throw Hunter off. The cat yelped as his claws lost their grip and he fell to the ground.

The worm turned on the cat and prepared to clamp its beak down on his flesh. Spyro roared and opened his mouth, a flash of flame emerging and hitting the worm's turned back. The beast roared and jumped away the flames on its back staying alit for a moment before burning out. It was going to attack, but Spyro breathed another flash of flames at it and it backed off.

Spyro smirked and advanced on the worm breathing more fire to force it to back off. The worm growled as the flames scorched it, deciding it had had enough, the worm turned and darted back into the bushes.

Spyro turned and walked over to Hunter. "You okay?"

Hunter pushed himself back to his feet. "Yeah, I'm okay. Good thing he didn't like fire."

Spyro nodded, glad to finally have one of his elemental breaths back. He glanced over at Sparx. The dragonfly still looked terrified, but he didn't seem to be hurt.

"We should get out of here in case he changes his mind," Sparx said. The other two nodded and they turned and continued on their way. "Man, that thing was huge!"

"You're a couple of inches tall," Hunter muttered. "To you, everything is probably huge."

"Oh, very funny," Sparx commented. He noticed Spyro chuckle and growled. "What are you laughing at? Oh, you don't think I'm funny, but the big pussy cat that you barely know gets a chuckle. Well, me, your best friend, you just roll your eyes at roll!"

"He always like that?" Hunter whispered to Spyro.

Spyro nodded. "He's at his worst just after something tries to kill him."

------------------------------------------------

Cynder groaned as consciousness returned. She almost shut her eyes and tried to go back to sleep when she realized where she was, but that wouldn't solve anything. She rolled off the bed and unto her feet.

She glanced up and found Pyris talking to someone on the other side of the bars, but Cynder couldn't see who it was at this angle. She moved to the side and a dark blue ice dragon the same age as herself came into view.

Pyris glanced back at her. "This is Crystalis."

Cynder nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm-."

"Cynder," Crystalis interrupted. There was no tone of fear, or loathing in the youngster's voice like there had been in the older dragons. "Anyway, I'm going to go see if I can convince my dad to change his mind."

Cynder watched as Crystalis turned and disappeared down the hall.

"Who's his dad?" Cynder asked, having the feeling that she already knew the answer.

"Feron," Pyris replied. "Though he's nothing like his father."

Cynder nodded. "Yeah, I can see that."

The black dragoness turned and stared out the bars of the window and noticed that a stack of wood was being set up in the clearing below. A thick wooden pole was sticking up in the center and oil was being poured over the wood. It took no small stretch of the imagination for Cynder to imagine herself tied to that pole and surrounded by flames.

Cynder glanced back at her sister. "Any ideas on getting out of here?"

Pyris sighed. "No. Nothing. How are we going to get out of here anyway? We're just kids."

"I know a kid that saved all four of the guardians and managed to defeat me," Cynder said. "If a special purple dragon can do all that, then we can sure as heck get out of here, we just have to put our hearts into it."


	12. There's A Way

Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro, or any other characters, or assorted items.

Chapter 12

There's A Way

Cynder groaned as she woke up. She glanced around trying to locate what had awoken her and glanced at the bars. Crystalis was standing there, barely visible in the darkness.

Pyris and Cynder rolled to their feet and approached the grinning youngster. Cynder really didn't see what there was to be happy about, she and her sister where about to get burned alive. They hadn't been able to figure out a way out of the cell and had gone to sleep hoping that something would intervene and save them. Cynder could hear the crowd that had gathered to see their destruction chattering outside the window.

"What are you doing?" Pyris asked.

"I can get you out of here," Crystalis said.

"Really? How?" Cynder asked.

"Well, I told the guard that my dad wanted to see him, since my dad has a notorious temper he didn't want to risk that I might be lying," Crystalis explained.

"But what about the key?" Cynder asked.

"Who needs a key?" Crystalis replied and gestured for them to step back. They did and Crystalis exhaled a stream of ice at the bars. The metal was quickly covered with ice. He stepped back and then charged forward and rammed his horns into the weakened metal, shattering it. "Come on!"

"Won't someone spot us?" Cynder asked, stepping through the hole.

"They're all probably gathered to watch our execution," Pyris said.

"They are," Crystalis nodded. "Now, come on, follow me."

Seeing that they had no choice, they did. Crystalis lead them through the halls, avoiding the areas that other dragons were at (he had scouted the escape route before saving them.)

They finally climbed out through an open window into an alley between the buildings. Crystalis told them to be quiet and then the trio quietly moved forward. The shadows were illuminated by the lamps that burned on the streets side, they avoided the light as much as possible.

They were nearly to the forest and safety when Edord jumped out from behind the building in front of them. He sneered as he hovered above their heads. Cynder and Pyris both hissed at the Dark Master's minion.

"Like I said, you can either join the Dark Master, or get barbecued, which is it?" Edord asked.

"Drop dead," Cynder growled.

"Fine," Edord grinned and then shouted at the top of his lungs. "Prisoners escaping! Get them, they're over here."

"Hide!" Cynder shouted and then leapt into the air, her wings propelled her toward the dragonfly and she opened her mouth. The incest vanished into the darkness and Cynder's jaws closed around thin air.

"Over here!" Crystalis shouted, standing on the doorstep of one of the buildings. He exhaled a breath of ice on the door and it immediately swung open.

Cynder swept her wings back and dived through the opening after him and Pyris, the door sung close afterwards. Cynder's feet touched down on the floor and she found herself skidding forward because of her momentum and crashed into the other two dragons. The trio rolled into another room and stopped in a heap.

They looked up as they heard footsteps outside and the clamoring of voices. Then one voice spoke above all the others.

"Find them!" Feron roared. "And capture them."

The three of them waited in silence as the crowd dispersed following the ice dragon's orders. Cynder took the opportunity to glance around the room and a particular object attracted her attention. A large shard of black and purple crystal that was set over a fire place.

"Whose house is this?" Cynder whispered to Crystalis.

"It's my dad's actually," Crystalis replied.

"Interesting," Cynder muttered to herself.

They heard the door swing open and jumped in panic as they saw Feron enter. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness of the room and he didn't see them right away. They slowly backed away as Feron glanced around. The ice dragon turned and went to investigate another room.

"Come on," Crystalis whispered, leading them over to the wall, where a window was located. He pushed the window open and squeezed through.

Cynder was about to follow when a growl sounded and they glanced back, finding Feron standing there. Cynder quickly jumped through the window. She hit the ground and turned around. Pyris was almost through the window, when she cried out and was pulled back in. Feron's head appeared in the window. Cynder turned and ran, Feron was too large to fit through. She jumped into the air, avoiding a blast of icy air. Crystalis was just a few feet ahead of her. She could hear Feron roaring in rage behind her.

The two dragons flew into the woods. Once, they were sure that they hadn't been followed, they landed. The two glanced at each other.

"We've got to go back and save her," Cynder gasped, she really was out of shape now that he didn't have the Dark Master boosting her physical powers.

Crystalis nodded, too out of breath to reply.

A twig snapped and the two dragons growled as more noise followed. Something was approaching. Cynder sighed when a purple head emerged from the bushes.

"Spyro!" Cynder exclaimed, charging forward and rubbing her head against his in greeting. "You're okay."

"Yeah, thanks to Ignitus," Spyro replied. He glanced back at the cat-like creature that followed him. "This is Hunter. He helped me recover."

Cynder glanced up at the feline. "I'm Cynder. That's Crystalis."

Hunter frowned and then shrugged his shoulders. "Nice to meet you."

She glanced back at Spyro, barely registering that Sparx was hovering a few feet away. "We've got to save Pyris."

"Who?" Sparx asked.

"My sister," Cynder explained. "They're about to execute her, just cause she's related to me."

Spyro and Sparx both glanced at each other. Up until this point they had both been having trouble believing Hunter's description of the dragons' condition, but what Cynder had just said cleared up their doubts.

"So what do we do?" Spyro asked.

"Why not just walk over there?" Crystalis suggested. The other four each gave him a shocked look. "Think about it, they've been living in fear of Cynder for so long, if the prophesized purple dragon where to show up, it would probably quell all their doubts and maybe convince them that you're really reformed."

Cynder glanced over at Spyro. "It might work."


	13. The Gateway

Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro, or any other characters from the game.

Chapter 13

The Gateway

Pyris was terrified. Her feet were bound, as were her wings and mouth. She was tied to the pole and surrounded by the oil-soaked wood. Most of the village was gathered to witness her death.

Glancing around at the crowd, she could see that not all of them were giving her hate-filled stares, but those that did sympathize with her, weren't exactly in any position to help.

Feron stepped forward and the roaring crowd fell silent. Feron glanced around and prepared to give the order that would signal the dragons to start bathing the wood with flames.

He stopped as the crowd started to part. Cynder and a purple dragon strode to the front. The crowd was now murmuring excitedly, while Feron looked angry.

"It's a trick," he yowled. "She's just trying to save her sister!"

"It's not a trick," Spyro growled. "I'm the dragon of the prophecy. I managed to beat Cynder and free her from the Dark Master's hold. We're here to try and convince you to return to the realms."

While Spyro said this, Cynder had leapt onto the pile of wood and ran to her sister. The black dragoness leaned down and bit through the ropes holding Pyris to the pole. She quickly ripped through the rest of the binds.

Feron growled as he watched Cynder help her sister away from the pile of wood. He glanced back at Spyro. "Why would the guardians send just you? Where's Ignitus?"

"Well, we're not sure-," Spyro started before blinking. "Wait a minute, how did you know that it was Ignitus that came with us?"

Cynder looked up. "Cause someone told him… The Dark Master used a large shard of purple and black crystal to communicate with those outside his prison, the same kind of crystal that is in Feron's house!"

Feron stepped back, startled. "You've no proof of that!"

Meanwhile, Crystalis had pushed his way to the front of the crowd in time to hear Cynder's accusation. The young ice dragon gasped, as did the rest of the dragons present. He leapt forward and stood face-to-face with his father.

"That's not true, is it?" he asked, a note of desperation in his voice.

Feron glanced down at his son, his face expressionless and then chuckled darkly. An evil sneer appeared on his face. "I'm afraid it is."

Spyro growled and leapt at the larger dragon. Feron's tail shot up and slammed Spyro away and into the wood. The ice dragon turned to finish him, but an arrow shot into his front leg and it crumpled beneath him. Feron growled and glanced in the direction that the arrow had come from, seeing Hunter standing on a nearby roof top and pulling another arrow out of his quiver. Sparx was hovering next to him and most likely nagging the cat to hurry up and shoot again if the frantic pointing and bobbing up and down were any indication.

Feron shakily stood back up, the arrow still stuck in his leg. He glanced around and noticed that the crowd was now closing in on him, lead by Vulcanos. Feron glanced up at the sky and a large wormhole appeared in it, which Spyro and Cynder both recognized. Feron leapt forward and grabbed Crystalis in his front claws before leaping into the sky and flying toward the portal.

"You all right?" Cynder asked, helping Spyro back to his feet.

"I'm fine," Spyro said, staring up at the portal. "Whatever he's up too, he's got to be stopped him."

"All right, let's go," Cynder said.

Spyro glanced over at her. "You sure you want to come with?"

Cynder frowned. "I can handle myself. Now, let's go before the portal closes."

Spyro nodded and the two youngsters leapt into the air. Their wings carried them toward the portal. As they neared it, Sparx zipped up and flew alongside Spyro. "You're not leaving without me, are you?"

"Of course not, Sparx," Spyro said as they entered the portal, shortly afterward the portal closed.

--------------------------------------

Crystalis was backed as far away from his father as he could get. Feron was standing next to the pillar of darkness in the center of the floating rock that they stood on.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Crystalis shouted.

Feron turned around. "The Dark Master can only be released from his prison by a dragon born in the Year of the Dragon, I wasn't born in that year, so unfortunately I can't release him from within there, but you can…"

"I won't do it!" Crystalis growled.

Feron frowned. "Think of the rewards that he would grant you for this simple act. We would most certainly gain his gratitude."

"I'm not like you!" Crystalis shouted.

Feron's frown became a scowl. "You'll do it, whether you want to, or not!"

The ice dragon's tail shot out and knocked Crystalis through the air and almost over the edge. He stood back up and was again knocked through the air by his father's tail. This time he collided with the pillar of darkness and fell to the ground beside it. He tried to get back up, but his feet failed him.

Feron stepped toward his son, panting in anger. "I'll keep this up until you break."

"No, you won't!" Spyro yelled landing on the ground behind Feron.

The ice dragon turned to face him. "Then perhaps you would? Think about it, Spyro… or maybe Cynder, I trust she's here somewhere, perhaps waiting to ambush me?"

Spyro growled in reply while Feron laughed. "You should realize that the Dark Master is very interested in you and her. He recognizes talent. He recognized that I could be useful to him. Why waste your time helping those other ungrateful dragons?"

"I don't want power," Spyro growled, the small amount of darkness that was left in Spyro stirred as he said this, trying to convince him otherwise. His tail wagged nervously as he felt this and tried to force down the suddenly dark feelings that he was getting.

Feron smirked as he saw this. The ice dragon detected movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face it, thinking that he had spotted Cynder trying to sneak up on him. He blinked as he saw the small yellow dragonfly.

"Bye-bye," Sparx waved as Cynder jumped down from one of the rocks above the platform. Her wings slowed her fall and she breathed a stream of fire on Feron's side.

The ice dragon kicked her in the chest and sent her flying. She rolled to a stop, a few feet from the edge.

Spyro was about to leap to her aid, when the pillar of darkness pulsed and the darkness in the purple dragon surfaced again. He screamed in pain as a cloud of darkness swirled around him. A few feet away, Cynder was also being enveloped by darkness.


	14. Fire and Ice

Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, or any other characters, except those of my own creation.

Chapter 14

Fire and Ice

"Spyro can overcome your magic," Ignitus growled.

The Dark Master chuckled. "Neither of them stand a chance. They're too close to me and the barrier between my prison and Convexity is exceedingly weak. It's just a matter of time."

Ignitus glanced at the vision that the Dark Master had conjured up of what was going on outside. Spyro and Cynder had both grown to adult size and two pairs of glowing red eyes were staring out of the darkness. The cloud of darkness cleared revealing the two changed dragons.

Outside Feron smirked as the two appeared. "Now release your master."

The duo started forward. What was left of the old Spyro tried to stop himself, but it was useless. And why shouldn't he do it? The Dark Master would reward him. Spyro stopped and shook his head. No, he didn't want that creature's rewards.

Cynder glanced back at him and then turned to face him. "What's wrong?"

"We can't do this," Spyro said.

"We're his slaves now. We have no choice," Cynder said.

Spyro shook his head. "You don't mean that."

"It'll be a lot worst if you fight it," Cynder said, sounding sympathetic. "Just give in."

"No, no!" Purple light engulf Spyro's body.

Inside his prison, the Dark Master scowled. He consoled himself with the fact that he had at least gotten Cynder back, but then the dark dragoness leaned her neck down and the light engulfed her as well. The Dark Master howled in rage. Ignitus stepped away from the howling specter and smiled warmly.

Feron turned his head away as the light blinded him. He glanced back when the light died down and saw the two dragons back in their original form walking toward him, both looking determined.

Sparx was hovering a few feet away from the ice dragon. "I wouldn't want to be you right at this moment."

"You're going down, Feron!" Spyro growled.

"I think not," Feron replied. The older dragon leapt forward and Spyro and Cynder scattered, avoiding being crushed beneath him. The two both launched a stream of fire at him, but the ice dragon jumped into the air with a powerful thrust of his wings.

The two youngsters leapt into the air after him. Feron dived toward a field of asteroids. Spyro and Cynder dived after him, flapping their wings desperately trying to keep up. They saw glimpses of the ice dragon as they turned and twisted through the rocks, but when they emerged from the rocks, Feron had vanished. Before they could look around, he swooped out of the sky above them and rammed into them. Feron's front legs grabbed a hold of the two and he carried them back toward the central platform, the duo helpless in his grip. He let go of them and sent them rolling across the hard rock.

Feron laughed as he landed on the ground. "You children can't beat me."

A javelin of ice slammed into Feron's side and penetrated halfway into the hard scales. Feron glanced over at his attacker and growled as he saw Crystalis. Crystalis launched another spear of ice and Feron raised his wings in defense. That was a mistake as the spike easily tore through the wing's thin membrane.

Feron roared and exhaled a stream of ice at his son. Crystalis cried out as the stream of cold air hit him. He collapsed shivering and covered with patches of ice.

Satisfied, Feron turned back to face Spyro and Cynder. Cynder looked horrified, while Spyro wore an expression of pure rage. Spyro opened his mouth and a bolt of electricity lanced out at Feron. The ice dragon roared in pain as his muscles seized up and the energy crackled against his scales. Spyro launched another blast at him and Feron collapsed.

Spyro sighed and Cynder ran over to check on Crystalis. He was still breathing. His natural resistance to the cold had probably saved him. Cynder sighed, pretty sure that he'd be okay. She glanced up at Spyro and saw that he looked nervous.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Something's coming," Spyro replied, glancing wide-eyed at the pillar of darkness.

Inside a torrent of energy was being emitted by the Dark Master and the pillar was shuddering, trying to rein it in and keep it from entering the outside world. Finally, the energy broke through and wrapped around the unconscious Feron. The ice dragon was lifted off the ground and his eyes snapped open, an unnatural red tint around them. The darkness twisted into a tornado-like shape and then exploded sending a gust of wind at the two, almost blowing them off their feet, Cynder had to grab onto Crystalis to keep him from being blown off the edge.

Spyro sighed as the wind stopped and he looked up at Feron. The ice dragon's wounds were completely healed and a black aura surrounded his body. His eyes were now tinted with red. Feron threw his head back and released an unearthly roar.

Cynder leapt forward and stood next to Spyro as Feron looked down at them with an evil glint in his eyes. He opened his mouth and a blast of dark energy shot at the two dragons. The wave of darkness hit them before they could move.

Spyro would later describe it as one of the worst experiences of his life. He felt cold and hopeless, like the darkness was sucking away his will to live out. The young dragon collapsed as the darkness faded. He felt like every ounce of energy had been drained from his body.

He tried to raise his head when Feron approached, but he was too weak. He could make out Cynder, collapsed on the ground beside him.

Ignitus growled as he watched from within the pillar. He glanced over at the Dark Master, who was crouching on the floor, exhausted from transferring so much energy to Feron. He glanced back at the image unfolding before him.

Ignitus could open the portal out of the prison, but the Dark Master could be faking his exhaustion and easily leap through as well and Ignitus wasn't sure that he could close the portal after leaving. It had taken all four of the guardians to seal it.

The fire guardian growled and exhaled a stream of flames at the wall. A red wormhole appeared in the darkness where the flames connected. Ignitus leapt through it, shooting a glance back at the Dark Master. The demon was still on the floor and glaring up at Ignitus with utter hatred.

Feron looked up as Ignitus exploded out of the portal and slammed into him, grabbing the ice dragon with his claws and hauling him into the air. Feron reached his neck up and bit Ignitus' hind leg. The elder roared in pain and stopped flapping, letting the two plummet onto the rock below.

"I hate you!" Feron growled. "It's your traditions that made me what I am! Because I wasn't born in the Year of the Dragon I was ostracized by society!"

"That's no excuse for what you did!" Ignitus growled as fire built up around him. Feron opened his mouth to launch another blast of darkness, but Ignitus unleashed his fury attack first, bathing the entire area in flames. When the flames cleared the rock had been melted into lava and ash filled the air. Feron had disappeared completely.

Ignitus sighed. His energy was severely depleted and he found it hard to just hover in place. He turned and flew back up onto the center platform. He stepped forward and breathed a blast of flame at the portal in the side of the pillar. Ignitus growled as it didn't close and released another blast of flame. The portal still wasn't closing!

Spyro shakily stood up and watched as Ignitus released a third blast of fire. It had no more effect then the previous blasts had. Spyro closed his eyes and purple light surrounded him. The light jumped from him and slammed into the portal, slowly forcing it closed.

Ignitus looked over at the purple dragon as the portal closed and the light faded away. Spyro groaned and then collapsed. Ignitus gasped and ran over to the youngster. He leaned down over the pale dragon. His breaths were coming in gasps.

Sparx was silent as he hovered nervously above Ignitus' shoulder.


	15. Epilogue

-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, or any assorted characters, or concepts, except for the ideas exclusive to this fic.

Epilogue

The dragons gathered in the site that would have been Cynder's funeral pyre were staring intently at the sky. Even the remaining three elders were too fixated to worry about anything else.

Pyris however had crept carefully over to Hunter and asked him if he knew what was happening. The cat had replied that he hadn't a clue.

Finally, the portal in the sky reopened and Ignitus descended from it, carrying an unconscious Spyro, Cynder, and Crystalis on his back. The weight made his flight clumsy, but he set down without a problem. The crowd gathered around the fire guardian and the three elders pushed their way to the front. The small yellow dragonfly hovering nearby was ignored completely.

Ignitus glanced down at the quiet crowd. "You know why I am here?"

"Yes," Vulcanos replied. "You want us to return to the islands…"

Ignitus glanced around at the crowd again. "And what do you say to this?"

"We can't go back!" A small fidgety earth dragon called. "The Dark Master rules there now."

Ignitus nodded. "That's true. The Dark Master still rules much of the islands, but he has lost his general…" He shrugged his shoulders indicating the unconscious Cynder. "And we have the purple dragon of the prophecy."

"And me!" Sparx added.

"He's still just a child!" A female ice dragon called from the back of the crowd.

"So you would rather cower in fear in this dark place, instead of fighting for the islands that rightly belong to you?" Ignitus asked, raising his voice. "If this young one can defy the Dark Master twice, then why can't we?"

An excited murmur swept through the crowd. Near the back, Hunter yawned. The speech remained him of those that Elora made.

Vulcanos bowed his head respectfully to the fire guardian. "We shall return to the islands with you."

The crowd of dragons roared in agreement. Ignitus nodded thankfully and then set the three youngsters he had on his back down on the ground.

"Crystalis needs medical attention," Ignitus said.

Vulcanos nodded and gestured for one of the healers to come forward. The dragon did and quickly looked over Crystalis's ice covered body and then carefully lifted him up by the scruff of the neck and carried him away.

Ignitus looked up and addressed the dragons present. "Prepare yourselves for the journey back, we leave in the morning."

The crowd dispersed chattering as they started back toward their individual huts. Ignitus set the other two youngsters down. The movement caused Cynder to open her eyes and then raised her head. She ached from the fight with Feron. She tried to stand, but immediately collapsed and settled for sitting on her stomach. She glanced over and saw the unconscious Spyro.

"Is he going to be okay?" Cynder asked, her mind was still half-asleep.

Ignitus nodded. "He'll be fine. He might be tired for a couple of days, but he'll recover eventually. But you should rest too."

"Okay…"

----------------------------

"So that's what happened?" Terrador asked.

It was several hours, after Ignitus had returned with the realms inhabitants. Spyro and Crystalis were resting in the temple, Sparx and Cynder both keeping an eye on him, while the elders went for a walk to discuss what had happened.

"Yes," Ignitus replied. He looked back at the temple and the large crowd of dragons gathered around the sacred structure. Soon they'd be splitting up to renew the fight with the Dark Master and hopefully take back their home.

"Can't believe that an ice dragon of all things would alley with that beast," Cyril growled. "But then again he was not born in the Year of the Dragon."

Ignitus halted and the other three turned back to look at him. "Do you think that it was the traditions of our ancestors that caused Feron to turn on us? He should not have been persecuted just because he was not born in a certain year."

The other three guardians looked thoughtful at this. None of them could refute that it was true that some dragons were ostracized by the ancient laws.

Finally it was Cyril who broke the silence. "You know, I grew up alongside Feron. He was always blaming me whenever he broke one of his toys, or got in trouble if he could and he was rather spoiled. I'm not exactly sure that his reasons for betraying us weren't just to fulfill his own desires for power and his being born in a different year was just an excuse for him to justify his own actions."

"Come on," Volteer said. "We must return and arm our forces for the epic clash that lies ahead."

The four guardians turned and headed back toward the temple.

"One thing does bother me," Terrador said. "Why didn't the Dark Master attempt to attack us, while you were out looking for the other dragons?"

"Perhaps he was busy with other things," Ignitus mused.

"Things more important then us?" Cyril huffed.

--------------------------------

"I wish Hunter would've come with us," Spyro sighed. He was laying on his stomach in his room. Cynder was standing a few feet away.

"He said he'd come visit sometime," Cynder reminded him. Sparx had left because he'd found their conversation boring, but then Sparx had never been much of a conversationalists.

Spyro lied his head down on his front legs. He really felt horrible after using so much of his energy to fight off the Dark Master's attempt to control him and then to close the portal to the prison. He felt worse now then he had after fighting Cynder.

He looked up when he felt Cynder sit down next to him. Her side comfortably pressed against his. Her wing resting on his shoulder. Spyro raised his head and looked into her dark green eyes.

For the first time since he had gotten back he forgot all about his weariness and even his worries about the Dark Master. His tail reached over and wrapped around Cynder's.


End file.
